Erik Erikson

Erik Erikson (15 June 1902-12 May 1994) was a German-American developmental psychologist and psychoanalyst known for his theory of psychological development of human beings, coining the phrase "identity crisis".

Biography
Erik Salomonsen was born in Frankfurt, Hesse, German Empire in 1902, and he was the son of a Protestant Danish father and a Jewish mother. He was concerned about his identity, as he was raised by a single mother, not knowing the identity of his father. He was bullied by fellow Jewish students for his Nordic appearance, and by his Scandinavian peers for being Jewish. He studied psychoanalysis in Vienna, and he emigrated to Copenhagen, Denmark after the rise of Nazi Germany in 1933. He went on to become the first child psychoanalyst in Boston after emigrating to the United States. In 1936, he began teaching at the Yale medical school, and, in 1938, he studied the Sioux on their reservations. It was at that time that he cultivated his theory of personality.

Theory of personality

 * Trust vs. Mistrust (0-18 months) - Trusting in others to support them vs. feeling fear about the world
 * Autonomy vs. Shame (1-3 years) - Child has self-control and self-esteem vs. depends on others
 * Initiative vs. Guilt (3-5 years) - Child can do things for oneself and has confidence to lead vs. fear of being a burden
 * Industry vs. Inferiority (6-11 years) - Comparing self-worth to others; friend group increases in importance
 * Identity vs. Role Confusion (12-18 years) - Questioning of self, discernment
 * Intimacy vs. Isolation (18-40 years) - Family and friendships vs. loneliness
 * Generativity vs. Stagnation (40-65 years) - Making progress in career vs. no progress
 * Ego integrity vs. Despair (65+ years) - Acceptance of life in its fullness vs. having a guilty conscience

Later career
In 1939, Erikson left Yale for UC Berkeley in California, and he published the book Childhood and Society in 1950. From 1951 to 1960, he worked with emotionally troubled young people in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, and he taught at Harvard from the 1960s until his retirement in 1970. He died in Harwich in 1994.